A Long Awakening
by kira66
Summary: When Teyla asked John to take care of Torren if anything happened to her he agreed. He never actually thought he'd have to make good on his promise until one day, when Torren was a little over three months old, Teyla fell into a coma-like sleep.
1. Chapter 1

Five year old Torren trotted down the corridor exchanging greetings with everyone he passed. Once he reached his destination he waved his hand over the door mechanism and rushed inside. "Daddy!" He squealed as he felt himself lifted from the floor and tossed in the air.

John Sheppard grinned as the door to his living quarters opened and his five year old son entered. Gathering the boy up he easily tossed him in the air as it was everyday the boy had classes elsewhere in Atlantis. "So what did Rodney teach you today?" He asked as he dangled the giggling boy upside down by his feet.

"Daddy!" Torren giggled as his world was literally turned upside down. "Uncle Rodney is teaching me about the stars this week."

"The stars huh?" John righted Torren and sat him back on his feet then ruffled up his hair. "What about the stars?"

Torren grinned showing off perfectly white teeth. "He's teaching me their names silly." He plopped himself down on his bum and proceeded to pull his good school shoes off; tossing them messily into the corner by the door.

John grinned since Torren's happiness was infectious. "You don't have Rodney again tomorrow do you?" He was well aware of his sons schedule but liked their daily talks.

"No tomorrow is Uncle Ronan." Torren told his father seriously as he tugged on his pair of everyday shoes and began to tackle the laces. "Help please?" He looked up when his attempt at tying failed.

"Sure thing buddy." John knelt down and quickly tied both shoes. "You have any homework before we go?" He questioned as he stood and winced as both his back and knees cracked.

Torren started to shake his head then paused. "Only to look at the stars tonight and try to find the ones I learned today." His vocabulary was quite advanced for a child his age but then again most children weren't surrounded and taught by genius' everyday. Heck most kids couldn't claim one genius in their family let alone an entire city full.

John stepped out the door as it automatically opened and waited for Torren to join him before heading down the corridor. "How about when your done visiting we head out to the north pier and play catch? Would you like that?" He asked the increasingly quiet and jittery child at his side.

"Yeah." Torren answered quietly as he fiddled with the sleeves of his sweat shirt. "We're visiting Uncle Dave this weekend right?"

"Yup!" John was always impressed by how much the little boy remembered. "He's even bringing Conrad this time."

Torren paused outside the infirmary doors and gave his father his best smile. "That's so cool! Can we take him a birthday present since we missed it last month?"

John found himself nodding without thought. "Sure thing." Conrad was his four year old nephew and it surprised him how well both the boys got on together. "Tomorrow we'll make a special trip to the toy store and you can pick out anything you want to get him, alright?"

"Yeah!" Giggling Torren entered the sterile room, his least favorite one in entire Atlantis, and made his way to the back where a large storage room had been converted into a long term care ward. This was the only part of his day he hated but he wouldn't ever tell his father that. Not after seeing how he looked at the woman on the bed. "Are you gonna leave now?"

"Yeah, I thought I'd catch up on some reports while you visit you mom. I'll be on the comm if you need me." John reached up and touched his ear where his ever present comm was nestled.

Torren copied his fathers movement and let out a tense breath as his small hand came in contact with his own comm set. "Okay." He made his way over to the single chair beside the bed and crawled up on it. "See you later daddy."

Smiling John turned and left the room. He really did have reports to finish or Woolsey would have a nervous breakdown.

"Hi." Torren greeted the motionless woman. Tilting his head to the side he studied her face. People were always telling him how he had his mothers nose and chin but he had yet to see any resemblance between himself and Teyla. He never knew what to say so he usually spent his hour staring at the wall or going over his lessons in his head. Sometimes he didn't understand why his father forced him to do these daily visits. He felt no connection to the prone woman. And if not for the fact that she had given birth to him five years and three months ago he wouldn't believe that she was related to him in any way. From the stories he heard from his various Aunts and Uncles he had been barely two months old when she fell ill and never woke. So why did they expect him to have a bond with her when he didn't have any memories of her? "Uncle Rodney is teaching me about the stars." He felt inclined to at least try to address her. "He said that next year I'll be old enough to learn about Space. And Uncle Radek has been teaching me the history of Atlantis." He paused trying to think of more things to say. "Daddy's been teaching me how to the fly the puddle jumpers. He says I'm really good! I'm going to be a pilot just like him when I grow up!" He told her proudly. "Aunt Jennifer is teaching me about germs and stuff but she's been real busy with the baby coming soon so we haven't had a lesson in a while. Uncle Rodney even said I could baby-sit sometimes! Isn't that cool? But don't tell daddy cause it's going to be a surprise!" He smiled at the thought of finally getting to meet his new little cousin. He was just as excited as everyone else though he didn't know why. It was _just_ a baby after all. It wasn't like there weren't any kids on Atlantis. Including himself there were a total of seven kids and out of those seven four lived in the city full time. Shaking his head he brought himself out of his thoughts. Glancing down at his watch, a perfect miniature copy of his fathers, he noted that it was almost time to go. "I guess I'll be back tomorrow at the same time." He slid off the chair and left privacy of the long term care room and moved into the bustling infirmary. "Uncle Chuck! What happened?" Torren made his way over to the head Gate technician who was sitting on the edge of a bed having his hand looked at by one of the nurses.

Chuck grinned when his favorite, and only, _nephew_ made his way over. "Just an accident Sheppard-mini." He wiggled his fingers, much to the nurses chagrin, to show him that he wasn't lying. "Nurse Santiago is almost done." He gave the nurse his best smile and thanked her when she finished wrapping it with an ace-bandage. "See good as new!" He announced as he jumped down off the bed and offered it to Torren to inspect.

Taking a moment Torren looked over the offered hand, without touching it, and nodded in approval. "Good as new!" He parroted then giggled when his hair was ruffled. "So what happened?" He asked as he fell into step beside the older man.

"Rodney has the control room torn apart again and I tripped on some cables." Chuck rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the infirmary and started slowly, so Torren could keep up, down the corridor. "You have a nice visit with your mom?" He asked.

"I guess." Torren shrugged his shoulders as they continued to walk. "It's not like she ever says anything back." He mumbled under his breath.

Chuck placed a hand on Torren's shoulder, squeezed it, then let go. "She would if she could Sheppard-mini."

Torren nodded. "I know." He acknowledged as he stopped in front of his fathers office door. "Watch where you're going next time!" He called out as Chuck kept going.

"Smart ass!" Chuck called back as he disappeared around the corner.

Torren stepped into the office when the door opened and made himself comfortable on the couch against the wall. "You done with the reports yet?" He asked his father who was lounging behind his desk.

"Yup, all done! You done visiting your mom?" John asked not mentioning that he still had fifteen minutes left of his hour visit.

"Yeah, we playing catch now?" Torren asked.

John tossed the miniature baseball glove to Torren then placed his own on his hand; both of which had been sitting on the corner of his desk.

Torren easily caught and glove and slipped it onto his hand. "Ball?"

"I'll hold onto the ball until we get outside. Last time you managed to break two windows by _accidentally_ dropping it." John was sure to let his voice tell him that he still didn't believe his story. He then stood and ushered his son out of the office and down the corridors towards the north pier.

"It was an accident, I swear!" Torren protested as he smacked his other fist into the glove. He loved baseball but hockey was a close second thanks to Rodney's mandatory hockey nights. He took a deep breath of fresh air as they exited the confines of the city and emerged onto the abandoned north pier; nothing breakable in sight. It was a sunny day with not a single cloud in the blue sky. He loved the view from this pier; it was the closest to the Golden Gate Bridge. It still amazed him that nobody knew that Atlantis was there. "Throw the ball!" He called out once he reached his spot.

John threw the ball, gently, so that Torren had an easy time catching it. Throwing it too hard would cause it to land in the water then wash up on shore. People in San Francisco were still wondering why every so often a sports item would wash up. These were the moments John wouldn't trade for the world.

Unknown to the two on the north pier bells and whistles were going crazy within the confines of the long term room. After five years it's single occupant was showing signs of waking up.


	2. Chapter 2

As John tossed the ball back and forth with his son he couldn't help but let his mind wonder. Lately he had been thinking a lot about Torren's childhood, or rather his earlier childhood, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Two events in particular caused the guilt to swell overwhelmingly. The first being when Torren was still a baby and the second when he was two years old.

_John continued to walk and rock the crying five month old Torren. With no sign of Teyla waking any time soon he had to accept the fact that the baby was now his to care for. The first month he had left the boy in the care of the infirmary staff wanting him to be close to his mother in case she woke but now he had no choice was take responsibility for the infant. "Come on kiddo." He tried everything to get him to stop crying but nothing was working. This only further convinced him that he'd be a terrible father. "How about some tunes? Would you like that?" He walked over to his docked iPod and pushed play not really caring what song played. When Johnny Cash began singing A Boy Named Sue he couldn't help but smile and hum along. It took the changing of the song for him to realize that Torren was now quiet. Looking down he expected the boy to be asleep only to be surprised when a pair of dark chocolate brown eyes were staring back at him. "You got good taste in music kid." He mumbled as he continued to move around the room talking quietly to the baby. He told him about his family or lack thereof then moved on to telling stories about Teyla. Soon eyes were closed and the boy was asleep. Breathing a sigh of relief he moved over to the crib, a recent delivery from Earth, and placed him inside. They both needed their sleep since they'd be making a trip to the new Athosian_

_settlement in a couple hours. With the people of Athos settled and recovering from Michaels experiments they wanted to see Teyla's son and wouldn't take no for an answer. As he laid down he couldn't help but worry about Kanaan. If he wanted Torren to live with him he had no choice but to hand the boy over regardless of Teyla's wishes. He fell asleep thinking how much he had come to love the little boy sleeping just a couple feet from him. _

_Sighing in his sleep Torren shifted slightly trying to get comfortable. He slept with the music of Johnny Cash soothing him. _

_Four hours later found a sleepy John and a still sleeping Torren headed for the mainland in a jumper. Grumpily he had refused his team offers to accompany him just wanting to get the deed done and over with. As he landed the jumper just outside the village he took a moment to gather himself before exiting and starting the short hike to the village center where he knew the Athosians would be gathered. "Halling!" He greeted the tall, sickly thin, Athosian leader._

_Halling grinned when John approached with the baby in his arms. "Sheppard!" He greeted jovially. "You have brought Teyla's child as we asked?"_

"_Yeah." John shifted around so Halling could peer into the blanket. "This is Torren John Emmagan, Teyla's son."_

"_A boy!" Halling turned towards the gathered crowd. "It's a boy!" He focused back on John. "And he is healthy?"_

_John nodded. "The Doc gave him a clean bill of health. Whatever Michael had planned for him either didn't work or he wasn't able to complete it."_

_Halling smiled. "Then the Ancestors has truly blessed him." He reached out a hand and placed it on Torren's head. "Welcome young Emmagan." He whispered and quickly removed it when the boy began to fuss. "You can stay for a little while?"_

"_We got all day." John assured the older man. "Couldn't have him missing his own party could we?" Reluctantly he passed the infant over to Halling who was then swallowed in a sea of people all wanting to see the boy. Letting out a breath he moved over to a chair and sat down to keep an eye on things._

"_That is truly Teyla's son?" Jinto asked as he took a seat beside the Colonel._

_John tilted his head towards the young man. "Yup. Why aren't you over there trying to get a look at him?" He questioned._

_Jinto leaned back in his chair. "I am uncomfortable around ones so small. I will wait until he is returned to you then I will look upon Teyla's child." He told John seriously._

"_You're growing up way too fast kid." John told him with a smile. "How old are you now?"_

"_I am twenty seasons." Jinto paused. "I believe that would make me eighteen of your years."_

_John shook his head. "Maybe you aren't growing up fast maybe I'm just getting old." He told Jinto good naturedly._

_Jinto took in a deep breath and let it out. It was good to be back amongst his people. He had been away with a trading party when the others had been taken so he escaped the horrors inflicted by Michael. But the aftermath was just as horrific. His father still woke from night terrors every night and some of the others had yet to reunite with family and friends that hadn't been taken. Sometimes he looked at his father and grieved for what he had lost. He knew the man would never be the same but he had in time things would return to normal. Now he was coming to realize that was never going to happen. "I am thinking of leaving come next season." He looked up to John so who else would he turn to for advice when his own father was inaccessible?_

"_I think that's perfectly understandable." John told him. "They aren't the same people they were before being taken." _

"_No, they are not." Jinto told him and sighed. "Fathers temper has gotten short and there are days he looks at me as though he is looking at a stranger. And some of the others look at me with contempt in their eyes. He is still my father and I love him but do I really want to stay where I am not wanted?" He fell silent for a moment. "Wex's mother raised her hand to him a couple moons ago and he left a short time later to live with his foremother on Actras. I am one of the few left that did not suffer at the hands of Michael."_

_John frowned. "Foremother is a grandmother right? Like his mothers mother or his fathers mother?" He questioned unsure of the term._

_Jinto nodded. "His fathers mother. She left Athos just after Wex was born. She returned for a short visit the season before the Wraith arrived and we moved to the Ancestors city. Her and Wex kept in contact through an old trader that visited the village every couple moons. He left with the trader the last time he was through."_

"_I'm sorry to hear that." John truly was. "You're more than welcome to come to Atlantis. With Teyla….we could use a good source of intel."_

"_Thank you but the family I was staying with while father was gone has offered me a place. And there is a girl in their village that I grew rather close to in my time there." Jinto blushed and looked away._

_John chuckled. "Well then I suggest you follow your heart. Your dad might not understand now but eventually he will. I'm sure he only wants what's best for you and if that means leaving well…." He shrugged. _

_Jinto smiled. "You will make a fine father John Sheppard. Torren is lucky to have you."_

"_Yeah, well…." John jumped up and rushed towards the crowd when he heard Torren screaming. "What's wrong? What's the matter? What happened?" He looked around trying to locate the clearly distraught boy._

"_I don't know." Halling moved so John could see that Torren wasn't in any harm. "He just started to cry when Kanaan took him. Perhaps he did not like being woke up so suddenly?" He shot Kanaan a warning look._

_John felt like his heart was going to burst from his chest so he took a couple of calming breaths before moving towards Halling, Kanaan and the still screaming Torren. "Let me check and see if his diaper needs changed." He held out his arms expecting Torren to given to him. He started to grow agitated when Kanaan didn't move and the baby kept screaming._

_Halling frowned. "Give him to Sheppard, Kanaan. He is the one Teyla has chosen to care for him." It was clear that it was an order and not a request._

_Kanaan frowned and looked down at his red faced son; son. It was surreal that he had a child. A child that apparently had been brainwashed against him by John Sheppard. "No." He said through clenched teeth. Teyla had already been taken from him and he wasn't going to give up his son without a fight._

"_Look I'll give him right back I just need to check his diaper." John tried to sooth all the while resisting the impulse to take the baby by force. It was clear that the crying wasn't stopping and if he cried any harder he'd risk not being able to breath. _

"_Kanaan!" Halling warned. Sheppard was worried for the baby, he could see it in his eyes. Kanaan on the other hand just wanted to hurt the Earth-man and if he had to use his own son to do it then so be it. "Give him the boy!" He commanded. "Give him Torren, Kanaan. Teyla would not want her son used this way." It was clear that he wasn't getting through. Out of them all Kanaan still had the longest recovery time left to go. "You are unwell and unable to care for him. Think of Torren."_

"_Very well." Kanaan practically threw the baby at the outsider then stalked away from the assembled group._

_John caught the angrily shoved baby before he could fall and snuggled him close. "Hey little man. It's okay." He soothed and at once Torren's cries stopped. "Say you're just grumpy because you wanted to stay up late last night, huh?"_

_Halling waited until Kanaan was out of ear shot before addressing John. "He is still unwell. Though there is no excuse for his behavior towards his son I fear he'll never be well enough to care for the boy on his own. I am happy to have seen Teyla's son but it might be for the best if he doesn't visit again until he is older."_

"_No traditions I need to be aware of between then and now?" John asked as he bounced the now cooing baby in his arms._

"_Today we celebrate his name and he will receive his blessing from the elders. He won't be needed again until he is two of your years old." Halling told him. "Now come let us celebrate Teyla's son!"_

_John gave Halling a small smile as he followed him into the festivities. But deep down he couldn't help but feel guilty that he was happy that Kanaan couldn't care for Torren. He didn't see Jinto again after that night but several weeks later received word from him that he was settling into his new life and was even considering joining with Lya, the girl he met and grew close to while his father was in Michaels captivity. _

"Whoa that was a good one Torren!" John praised as a rather strong pitch hit him hard in the glove. "With an arm like that you'll be a shoe in for little league in a couple years." He threw the ball back and the game continued as his thoughts wondered to the second event that caused his guilt.

_Keeping his word to Halling that he'd bring Torren to see the Athosian when he turned two was a little harder than he expected. He certainly didn't expect Atlantis to still be on Earth a year and a half after its rough landing. But lucky for him General O'Neill had been on his side and had managed to get the IOA to approve a trip for him and his son aboard the newly commissioned General Hammond. Three weeks aboard a vessel with a two year old would have driven anyone crazy but he was used to the hyper child and packed accordingly. He was also careful to keep his daily routine intact meaning they ate breakfast in their shared room at seven in the morning on the dot. Torren would then do lessons, which consisted for his numbers and ABCs, from eight until nine then he napped from nine-thirty until noon. At noon they ate lunch in the mess with whatever crew members happened to be there and from one until six he either played with his toys or watched movies. At six-thirty they ate dinner, again in the mess, and at seven he got a bath, brushed his teeth, and crawled into bed where a bedtime story of his choice would be read. And by seven-thirty he'd be asleep. He managed to keep him occupied up until the last two days where Torren started getting fussy and antsy. _

"_I know you're getting tired of being in the same place all the time but it won't be much longer, I promise." John told the sniffling boy that was huddled on his lap with his face buried in his neck. He reached across the bed and picked up the stuffed giraffe, that had seen better days, and offered it to his son. "Why don't you give Mer a big hug? He's sad too." He informed the boy._

"_Mer?" Torren mimicked the name of his favorite toy. It had been given to him by his Uncle Rodney on his first birthday. It's name had always been Mer and it always would be. "Mer!" He grabbed the well played with toy and gave it a big hug. "Mer mine!" He told his father proudly._

_John smiled and nodded. "Yup Mer is yours." He always chuckled to himself at the animals name. It was Rodney's fault for irritating him that day. If he hadn't just kept picking he wouldn't have snapped and called him Meredith a name his son happened to pick up on and named his newest toy. Of course the then one year old could only get out Mer thus Mer the Giraffe was born. "Soon you'll get to see your Uncle Halling again and won't he be surprised at how big you've gotten?"_

_Torren grinned. "Torren big boy." He told his father solemnly. "Who Halling?" He asked after a moment of chewing on Mer's ear. _

"_He's a friend of your mothers." John told him as he pulled the ear out of his mouth. "He's like Rodney and Ronon and Radek." He explained. _

"_Unca Roday! Unca Ro! Unca Rad!" Torren exclaimed then looked around. "Where at?" He asked and blinked in confusion like he was just noticing that none of his favorite Uncles were around. _

_John sat the boy off his lap and onto the bed. "Their back on Earth remember?" He asked as he picked up his laptop off the floor and flipped open the top. _

_Torren tilted his head to the side considering his fathers words. "Space 'ip!" He exclaimed as the answer came to him._

"_Yup we're on a spaceship." John told him with a smile as he scrolled through is files until he found the right one. He clicked on it and sat the laptop onto the bed so Torren could see it. It was a file containing messages from those back on Earth that was recorded before they left. He knew sooner or later the boy would start missing familiar people and surroundings. "Go ahead and watch them while daddy takes a shower ok?"_

"_Okay daddy." Torren reached forward and pushed place then settled back in the bed to listen to his Aunts and Uncles talk. _

_John never planned on letting Torren call him daddy. He was perfectly happy being Uncle John but then his first word had been dada and it snowballed from there. Everyone told him that he was basically the boys father and with Teyla still asleep the only parent he really had. He quickly jumped into the shower, washed, and jumped out. He exited the bathroom and smile when he saw that Torren had fallen asleep through the first recording which happened to be Rodney's. "Told ya you were boring." He told the recording as he stopped it, put the laptop back on the floor, carried Torren to his own bed, tucked him in, then crawled into his bed. He turned off the lights and fell asleep instantly. _

_The next day went smoothly and quickly. Torren was enthralled with the recordings so his fussiness was forgotten. Their arrival at the planet that the Athosians called home quickly followed. _

"_You ready to go?" John asked the boy who was still in the bathroom. Sometimes he was worst than a girl when it came to getting ready._

_Torren emerged and nodded. "Ready daddy." He put his arms up to be picked up suddenly feeling the urge to be near his father._

_John scooped Torren up easily and settling him on his hip. "Nothing to be nervous about buddy. These people are friends." He told him as they left their room and headed towards the ring transporter._

"_Mama's friends." Torren said with a sign. _

"_Yes but they are my friends too." John said. "And I bet they are excited to be seeing you again." He stepped onto the ring platform, signaled to the airman at the controls and held on tightly to Torren as they were transported to the surface. "You can open your eyes now."_

_Torren shook his head and squeezed his eyes even tighter shut. "No." _

_John chuckled. "You'll miss all the excitement if you don't." He smiled as Halling approached them._

"_No!" Torren repeated louder and buried his head into his fathers neck. "No wanna!" _

"_John Sheppard as I live and breath!" Halling greeted never expecting to see the other man again. Nor the child that he carried. "Is that Torren?" He asked with a hitch in his breath. It had been so long since he had seen the boy. He had been a mere baby the last time. _

"_Come on Torren your Uncle Halling wants to see you." John gently nudged him. "We didn't come all this way for you to suddenly become shy." He chided._

_Torren moved his head slightly so he could see who exactly his Uncle Halling was. "Dunno you." He told the very tall man with long hair._

_Halling grinned as the boy looked at him. "You have your mothers eyes young Torren." He told him. _

"_Nu-uh!" Torren protested as he reached up to touch the corner of his eyes. "My eyes!" _

"_You are most certainly your mothers son!" Halling said as he laughed at the boys antics. He then held out his arms. "Will you come with me so the others may see you?"_

_Torren blinked and tilted his head to the side. "No!" He buried his head in his fathers neck again._

_John gave the older man an apologetic smile. "He doesn't really interact with people he doesn't know. We live on Atlantis so the only time he comes in contact with people outside his 'family' is when we visit my brother or go shopping in San Francisco."_

"_Unca 'ave?" Torren mumbled the question still with his head buried in his fathers neck. _

_Halling's smile dimmed slightly. "That's okay little one. You may stay where you are."_

_Torren peaked out again. "Stay with daddy!" He commanded and tightened his arms around his daddy's neck._

"_Daddy?" Halling gave John a questioning look. "He calls you daddy?"_

"_Yeah." John shifted uncomfortably. "You gotta loosen your arms a bit kiddo or I'm going to pass out."_

"_Okay." Torren released his hold just a bit. _

_Halling nodded. "Kanaan is away with the hunters but his bond mate is here. She has been very vocal about Torren, if he should ever return, staying here with his father."_

_John shifted again. "No." He said simply. "I've read up on the laws and only Teyla can make the choice and seeing as how she hasn't woken up yet….he stays with me."_

"_Kireya will not be happy. She is unable to bare children and has pictured Torren as the child she'll never have. But you are correct. Teyla is the only one that can absolve you from your oath of guardianship. Now come let us celebrate the return of Torren John Emmagan!" He lead them into the crowd of people; some were seating behind tables piled high with food and others were milling around waiting to get a glimpse of the child._

_The party lasted well into the night and Halling was able to steer John away from the ever lurking Kireya. But as things were winding down a confrontation could no longer be avoided._

"_You have stolen what belongs to us." Kireya approached Halling's table greedy eyes locked onto the caramel skinned boy in the outsiders arms. _

"_Excuse me?" John looked away from Halling with whom he was conversing. "I stole nothing." He rocked the snoozing boy so he didn't way up._

_Kireya snorted. "That child belongs to my bond mate." She declared. "I will have him."_

_John, who was growing tired from the long day and the trip, rolled his eyes. "I think not."_

"_You will give him to me outsider!" Kireya bellowed and reached out her arms as if to take him by force._

"_I said no!" John knocked her hands away and stood so he could get Torren up higher and away from her. "You have no claim on this child. You are not his mother nor Kanaan!"_

_Kireya was enraged by the outsiders refusal. "Are you just going to stand there and let him steal one of our own away?" She spun addressing the crowd._

_Halling stood. "He cannot steal what is already his Kireya. Teyla chose him to care for Torren if anything happened to her and it did! He has clearly taken his duties to heart and loves the boy as his own. You have no say in the matter." He declared. "So says our laws not theirs."_

"_He is to stay here with Kanaan!" Kireya bellowed and started towards the boy again._

"_Enough Kireya!" Kanaan, who's hunting party had just returned, said as he stepped into the light of the fire. _

_Kireya stopped as if she had been slapped. "But he is ours!" She pleaded._

_Kanaan gave his bond mate a pitying look. "No he is Teyla's." He stepped up to John and placed his hand on the boys soft hair. "For a very long time I hated you John Sheppard of Atlantis for taking first Teyla and then Torren from me. But I've come to realize that I was in no shape to care for him back then nor am I now. I love him as a father loves a son but his place isn't here and it never has been. His place is with his mother so when she wakes from her long sleep she may look upon his face and remember us; remember me. All I ask in return is for you to care for him as if he were your own and if his mother should never awaken tell him of us and teach him our ways."_

_John nodded. "I'll do that." He promised. _

"_I also ask that he not return here unless he is old enough to make the decision himself." Kanaan removed his hand and stepped back. "He has no path to follow here so guide him the best you can John Sheppard." With that said he turned and lead his bond mate away from the crowd. _

"_It will be a long time before I see either of you again." Halling said as he walked with John and Torren back to the ring platform. "It might not even be in my lifetime that he returns to these lands."_

"_I dunno he seems like a smart kid. I bet when he's a teenager he'll wanna know where he comes from." John tried to assure Halling but also doubted if Torren would ever return here. He quashed the guilt that was beginning to rise within his gut._

_Halling smiled. "Then perhaps I'll be able to introduce him to my sons son when he returns?"_

_John grinned. "Jinto's a father? That little son of a gun!" He laughed. _

"_I have a feeling Jinto will have many sons." Halling also laughed. "And daughters."_

"_What did he name him?" John asked as he pushed the button for a transport._

_Halling smile widened. "I believe he calls him Johnny. Be well John Sheppard and Torren Emmagan. May your paths be long and smooth."_

_John blinked. "What? Johnny?" It was too late they were already aboard the General Hammond and on their way back home._

John blinked as a clicking in his ear brought him out of his memories. He caught the ball and reached up touching his ear piece. "Yeah?"

"Colonel it's Jennifer I think you should come to the infirmary right away." Jennifer Keller nay McKay told the man once she was able to get a hold of him. She had been calling him for a little over fifteen minutes without answer. She was just about to call Torren and ask where his father was when he finally responded

"On our way." John touched the ear piece again to break the link. "Come on kiddo Jennifer needs us in the infirmary right away."

Torren jogged over to his father. "She isn't having the baby is she?" He asked as he pulled the glove off his hand.

John shrugged. "I don't think so. I didn't hear any screaming." He lead the way through the corridors and into the infirmary. "Whatcha need Doc? And can it wait until we've had a shower?" He questioned.

"John?"

"Wha?" John turned towards the furthest bed. "Teyla?"

* * *

**Authors Note**

Sorry if this chapter sucked but my muse refused to let me write anything else until those two memories were out of the way. As always read and review! Reviews make me happy and a happy writer is a productive writer!


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